Spurs’ Popovich taking some heat from national press

The San Antonio Spurs’ Gregg Popovich may have received the most votes for Coach of the Year award.

But two consecutive losses in the Western Conference Finals has caused some in the national media to do the unthinkable and criticize the Spurs coach publicly.

CBSSports.com national columnist Gregg Doyel offered some harsh words for Popovich Sunday, the day after the Spurs allowed the Oklahoma City Thunder to turn what had initially been a 2-0 series lead into a 2-2 tie.

“Do something, Gregg Popovich. Same goes for you, Tim Duncan. Do something. Anything,” Doyel wrote after the Spurs’ 109-103 loss on Saturday.

Doyel says he tried for days to ask Popovich why he was not using DeJuan Blair more in the playoffs.

Some Spurs fans have asked the same question.

Blair started in all but four of the Spurs’ 66 regular season games, but had been relegated to the bench for most of the playoffs.

He did not get any minutes in either of the first two Western Conference Finals games in San Antonio but did play a total of about 19 minutes in Games 3 and 4 in Oklahoma City.

Doyel, characterizing Popovich as “one stubborn man,” contends that he didn’t answer his questions about Blair. And he suggested in print that Popovich could perhaps benefit from a little more humility.

Popovich and the Spurs have an opportunity to regain some control of the series as the two teams meet at AT&T Center on Monday for Game 5.

Spurs guard Stephen Jackson says the Black & Silver need to play harder if they hope to advance to the NBA Finals.

But Popovich may need to make more changes to counter what Thunder coach Scott Brooks has done in this series.

“We keep waiting for Popovich to pull out that magic adjustment to tilt the series back in his favor, and it hasn’t happened yet,” ESPN’s John Hollinger writes.

The tone was much different last month, when Popovich was handed his award and the Spurs were rolling.

“All the success, the championships, he has not changed one bit,” said Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said in an ESPN.com report on May 1 about Popovich. “Great humility, great coach, great executive.”

Thibodeau came in second in the Coach of the Year voting. His Bulls tied the Spurs for the best record in the regular season.